Keeping with tradition, I attended yet another IDEA World fitness Convention. According to the announcement at the opening ceremonies, this year has 14000 attendees from over 50 countries!

Loved the sessions, and this time there was some immediate take-home application.

The first session about compensatory movement patterns struck a real chord with me as I am deepening my knowledge of the NeuroKinetic Therapy. -- The second session on Thursday was about “Soft Tissue Hygiene for the Shoulder Complex”, and the suggested movements make a lot of sense and will be passed on immediately. -- And then there was the last session about breath training which I had only done in the context of foam roller training. This is also information that I will pass on as quickly as I can.

Next day, Friday, and I was sitting almost all day long on the floor again. I started with a session about the “Science behind High-Intensity Vibration Combined with Foam Rolling” (no wonder I was interested.It actually turned out to be a promotional session for a company who sells vibration tools, one of them appearing similar to the Rapid Release tool which I use every day. And while their tools cannot hold a candle to the RRT, they had one device that is like a belt which has pulsating vibration with added heat. I liked that (probably in part because my lower back did not react kindly to the airline seat and it felt really good); it is on order and will be soon in use at the studio. -- The next session was by a much respected presenter about the exercise approach to clients in chronic pain, and I was pleased to find that my own training approach is very similar. But there is always something to learn, and I picked up a few extra pointers. – I then listened to the science of neuroplasticity. No longer is there the belief that the brain cells cannot regenerate themselves. Science finds that new cells can grow when the brain is adequately stimulated. One of the best methods is aerobics exercise. – The last session on Friday was about the ‘Yoga Tune-up’ method by its creator Jill Miller. I had bought the book and the tools already a while ago, and I really wanted to like the session. I found the techniques for the diaphragm very awkward, though. They did not relax me as they are supposed to. Those will not make it into my repertoire.

My last conference day was Saturday. I started with a lecture about lower back pain and functional solutions. The presenter Chuck Wolf is one of my favorites, and he had some suggestions for whole body mobilization which I definitely will implement as a homework assignment. Flexibility in the thoracic spine was one of his big items, and I am already ahead of that curve. – After that I listened to a 4-hour lecture given in 2 hours about “Interoception – the Emotional Side of Fascial Fitness”. It was loaded with information but presented in such a rapid-fire manner that I have to wait to get the session presentation to look at that again. Big take-home was that our hands and feet are essential interfaces with the rest of the world, and we cannot take care of them enough. --- Then it was another Jill Miller session based on the Yoga Tune-up method for hands, feet and face. That was quite nice, and I will add some of those techniques to the hand and foot techniques I still use from the MELT ® Method. The last conference session had me rolling yet again in a Pilates inspired session for the upper body. And yet again, a few ideas to add to my own programs.

In summary, it was definitely worth my time (and money, I may add). In addition to the vibrating belt which I already mentioned, I purchased another Active Motion Bar which is really like a big 4 lbs. level. What makes it different from the bars I already own is a Plexiglas window in the bar which allows to glimpse the ball bearings in the bar (It’s called Glimpse Bar J).

The only downside to the whole conference was the traveling, specifically the airline seats into which I was wedged. I am convinced that it was an offspring of the Marquis de Sade who designed them. When I emerged in Raleigh on Sunday morning after the red eye, I felt that I had been beaten by a baseball bat.

Here’s the scenario: your client comes in, stressed from events of the previous week and expecting the same for the week to come. Suddenly, the client stops the exercise and sits down for a moment. There is pain in the stomach area but it subsides, and the client is ready to resume the exercise. The client has been with you for some time, is fit and has no risk factors or history of cardiac problems.

The reaction may depends on the gender of the client:

The client is male: despite the absence of risk factors, you suspect a cardiac event.

The client is female: because of the absence of risk factors, it’s probably just heartburn.

Outcome # 1:

We did not resume exercising but I urged my female client to get herself checked out. She did; the ECG and bloodwork were normal. It appeared that it was heartburn after all.

The same happened a little later in the week, and my client went immediately to the ER. The cardiologist urged her to stay for observation and performed a heart catherization the next day.

Outcome # 2:

One coronary artery was 99% blocked.

Conclusion:

All is well now even though the thought of ‘what if’ is chilling.

We have all heard that heart disease if the # 1 killer of women, and one of the reasons is that cardiac events present themselves differently in women than men. There are also prejudices that associate cardiac problem more readily with men. Even the dummies in CPR classes are images of male anatomy.

The appearance of heartburn is one of the signs of cardiac trouble in women. Others are

Neurokinetic Therapy (often called NKT) is a type of natural therapeutic system that has the goal of correcting learned movements and muscle functions within the body that can contribute to poor posture, joint tenderness and muscular pain. Considered to be a healing “bodywork modality,” similar to massage therapy or chiropractic adjustments for example, NKT is often used in rehabilitative settings to treat injuries and chronic pain.

The NeuroKinetic Therapy® corrective movement system was first created by David Weinstock in the mid-1980s. He created this unique system of precise muscle tests and adjustments to help correct muscle and movement memories that were stored in the brain region that’s responsible for learned motor control.

NKT practitioners now work with clients around the world to help reduce problems such as common running injuries and carpel tunnel syndrome, which are often made worse due to dysfunctional muscle compensations. What other types of body compensations might eventually cause us pain? These include muscle compensations triggered through trauma, exercising with improper form, or compensating when we walk or lift in order to reduce fatigue.

NKT practitioners first identify where their clients’ muscles are behaving abnormally, then help them restore proper balance and function through good-old failure and repetition.

What Is Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT), and How Does It Work?

NKT is based on observations that certain body parts compensate for other weaker body parts. Essentially muscles or tissue can become weak and “shut down” following injury, while others become forced to work overtime and make up their shortcomings. This concept is known as the body’s “muscle compensation patterns.” These patterns are observed in people experiencing noticeable weakness and pain, but also often appear to some degree in those who are generally healthy and strong.

As a type of manipulative bodywork that’s related to Active Release Technique, NKT is based on a chiropractic technique called Applied Kinesiology, which uses touch and adjustments to help the body heal itself. Prior to using any Applied Kinesiology technique, a practitioner must first test their client’s reaction to a type of movement, stance, pressure or substance in order to see how they react, in order to observe their weaknesses.

Weinstock discovered that muscle compensation patterns are stored in a part of the brain responsible for muscle and movement memories, called the cerebellum. Muscle testing could be used to help reveal incorrect movements being stored in the cerebellum that are contributing to pain or postural abnormalities.

The cerebellum is sometimes referred to as “the body’s control center for all motor skills” (in NKT, it’s often called the Motor Control Center or MCC). It plays a crucial role in helping us to develop into fully functioning adults who can perform many movements automatically (such as grabbing, walking, bending or bringing things towards our body) without much conscious thought. The cerebellum is connected to all muscles via the somatic nervous system, which is a series of nerve channels that bring chemical messages throughout your body related to your senses, location in space and movements. Although memories stored in the cerebellum allow us to do many tasks subconsciously and automatically, we still must learn these behaviors and movements through trial and error. Babies and children slowly develop muscle memories as they get older, and the cerebellum (in conjunction with other parts of your brain) then stores these memories like a computer, so that eventually we can perform them on “autopilot.”

Normally movement memories are extremely useful and beneficial, but they can become problematic following an injury or overuse. When one muscle is overused or strained, the body adapts by creating muscle compensations. These compensations then get stored into the Motor Control Center and can be hard to break without precise interventions.

Movement patterns may be faulty or dysfunctional, and cause pain due to imbalance, overuse or overloading of tissues. Pain itself is not always at the site of dysfunction — it’s simply result of faulty compensations. The goal of NKT, therefore, is to reteach corrected muscle movements. A NKT practitioner helps clients to practice movements over and over again using proper form. Eventually these corrected movements replace incorrect muscle compensations and become stored in the MCC for future use.

Final Thoughts on Neurokinetic Therapy (NKT)

Neurokinetic Therapy is a healing bodywork system based on correcting muscle compensations that are developed when certain weak muscles become inhibited, forcing other muscles to become overworked.

NKT first tests for abnormal compensation pattern that can contribute to pain or tightness, then uses specific repetitive movements to reteach the body how to perform movements correctly and store them in memory.

Who doesn’t know that old saying that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks? For those of us fortunate enough to have an old dog, you know that not to be true. It is possible to teach an old new tricks. However, what is really difficult is to break an established habit (also applies to humans).

But there are areas in which we are not even aware of ‘bad habits’ which need to be broken.

Most of us have suffered an injury over the course of our lives which caused us to temporarily alter movement patterns. This could have been a sprained ankle, a bum knee, hurting the lower back or a shoulder or even having surgery.

After injuries of a more serious nature, there may be a number of sessions with a physical therapist but, often enough, we pick ourselves up and dust us off and go about life as if nothing ever happened. And that is in many cases a working strategy but sometimes it isn’t.

When we temporarily change the way we move, our muscles form new patterns of recruitment. The new pattern often looks very similar to the original one because we are equipped with muscular back-up systems that enable us to function and work around an injury. And once everything has healed, we assume that all the muscles return to their original functions.

That is not always the case, however, and our brain motor control center simply did not get the message that all is well, and that the temporary pattern can be switched off.

Who has never seen a case where a sprained left ankle did not lead to a painful right hip or knee? Or just some nagging pain that just did not go away?

Identifying patterns that are no longer helpful is the goal of NKT (NeuroKinetic Therapy). I am working hard at mastering this technique because it holds the promise of helping more people to function better with less pain. Here is an example of an old dog learning a new trick.

It’s that time of the year again. Will you be making new year’s resolutions?

Some wave them off, others sit down and plan.

I leave it for you to decide which route to pursue but I would like to throw out the following statistics.

A widely accepted goal setting practice is to decide what you want to obtain or achieve and then write down a “SMART” goal. SMART goals are Specific in that they define the who, what, when and where of your goal. SMART goals should also be Measureable, so you can track your progress and they should be something that is personally within your ability to Attain. Finally, they should be something that is Realistic for you to achieve and set within a specific Timeframe.

A study by Psychology Professor Dr. Gail Matthews found that 76 percent of participants who wrote down their goals, actions and provided weekly progress to a friend successfully achieved their goals. This result is 33 percent higher than those participants with unwritten goals, with a success rate of only 43 percent of goals achieved. This study shows the value of taking the time to write down your goals, create an action plan and develop a system of support to hold yourself accountable for achieving your goals.

The holidays are always a challenge with all the things we put on ourselves. We appear to be racing from one thing to the other, and the ‘spirit of the season’ is completely left behind.

The following suggestions are copied with permission of Kathy Sturgis, Ph. D., founder of Refreshment Zone http://www.refreshmentzone.com/and an organizational and personal development specialist. Here is her approach to the holidays:

Holiday Balancing Activity

Instructions: Take 5 minutes to write down your answers to the following questions:

What matters to your this season / weekend?

Make a list of the top 2 or 3 things

Be as specific as possible

Circle the most important one

What's on your "to do" list?

If it isn't written down, take a few minutes to write it out now. This will allow your brain to let it go.

Identify the "shoulds" on your to do list.

reconsider each one.

Ask yourself, are the activities on your list aligned with what matters to you?

Cross out the ones that take you out of alignment with what your really want.

The general belief is that most people do not drink enough water and are – more or less – in a constant state of dehydration. Speaking for myself, I certainly have been recommending generous water intake. At the same time, I was aware of a condition called hyponatremia which is caused by excessive water intake, leading to a loss of electrolytes, particularly sodium. According to what I had read, this can be a risk for endurance athletes.

A few weeks ago, I encountered the situation when the 86 year old mother of a friend was admitted to the hospital with hyponatremia.

How could that have happened?

She is a health-conscious person and aware of the need for proper hydration. At the same time, she is also limits her sodium intake; this is another general recommendation because the typical American diet is too high in sodium. Because of a confluence of circumstances, both those otherwise commendable health habits had catastrophic results. She was in the hospital for more than a week and may have lasting health consequences because of it.

According to the Mayo Clinic, hyponatremia signs and symptoms may include:

A few days ago, I returned from the IDEA World Fitness Convention in Las Vegas where I spent three days sitting on floors of dubitable cleanliness in pursuit of fitness knowledge to help my clients. Because of my robust health, I withstood the germ attacks and walked away with nothing but new ideas.

Let me summarize what I learned and observed:

My focus was on two areas; one on fascia and the other on the Active Motion Bar ®.

Without a doubt, Sue Hitzmann was a forerunner with her insights into fascia and her MELT Method but the competition has not been standing still. Rollers of any shape and density are now being developed, and I spent a good while on them. In all likelihood, I felt much less beaten up than usual when I was at a conference because of all the rolling I did. My assessment is that, regardless of roller shape, many of those new ideas can be adapted to the soft roller that I like to use.

An Active Motion Bar is a weighted exercise bar with ball bearings inside. That makes this bar more challenging but also a lot more versatile. I was an early adopter and had already bought three bars of 6, 8 and 10 lbs three years ago. I am now adding a 3 and 4.5 lbs bar to my assortment to make them useable to all my clients. Research has shown that the shifting weight inside of those bars increases the challenge on the body such to make them 50 % more effective than a comparable static bar. I also picked up additional ideas on how to use them. Clients: Watch it!

Beyond sessions for my focus subjects, I participated in a BootyBarre (ahem) class. Let’s just say that everybody in the room could have been my daughter or son. After this realization, I decided to attend a class promising “Restorative Poses for Recovery”. Frankly, I needed restoration and recovery after that class. I then attended a session with a balance tool called "ZeSa" (evidently the sanskrit word for 'balance') which are mini-Bosu balls with a swiveling platform. Loved those little wobbly devils and bought the floor models.

I came home no worse for wear, inspired by new ideas and recharged. What happened in Vegas will not stay in Vegas!

I just returned from one of the most exciting weekends of my life: a seminar to learn level 1 of NKT. NKT ® stands for NeuroKinetic Therapy ® which has been developed by David Weinstock.

What is NKT ®?

Neurokinetic Therapy is a type of natural therapeutic system that has the goal of correcting learned movements and muscle functions within the body that can contribute to poor posture, joint tenderness and muscular pain. Considered to be a healing “bodywork modality,” similar to massage therapy or chiropractic adjustments for example, NKT is often used in rehabilitative settings to treat injuries and chronic pain. NKT practitioners first identify where their clients’ muscles are behaving abnormally, then help them restore proper balance and function through good-old failure and repetition.

David Weinstock discovered that muscle compensation patterns are stored in a part of the brain responsible for muscle and movement memories, called the cerebellum. Muscle testing could be used to help reveal incorrect movements being stored in the cerebellum that are contributing to pain or postural abnormalities.

Normally, movement memories are extremely useful and beneficial, but they can become problematic following an injury or overuse. When one muscle is overused or strained, the body adapts by creating muscle compensations. These compensations then get stored into the Motor Control Center (MCC) and can be hard to break without precise interventions.

The goal of NKT, therefore, is to reteach corrected muscle movements. An NKT practitioner helps clients to practice movements over and over again using proper form. Eventually these corrected movements replace incorrect muscle compensations and become stored in the MCC for future use.

Is it any wonder that I am excited?

After having been a trainer for over 22 years, I have been able to achieve the reversal of faulty movement patterns. Using NKT will enable me to do it more deliberately and with a system. NKT will blend in with all the other things I have already been doing. My wonderful Rapid Release Machine will be an integrated part of this approach to help release muscles that have become overly helpful in compensating.

Update 7/27/17: I passed my level 1 certification and will attend the level 2 course in Chicago in October.

I have been in the fitness industry since 1994, and it is my passion to help people feel and live better. Over the years my training focus has shifted towards corrective exercise strategies. Most recently, I have added NeuroKinetic Therapy as an improved methodology of muscle testing. The essence of NKT is to identify inhibited vs facilitated muscles in compensatory movement patterns. As such, it is possible to enhance the client screening and to be more accurate in the initial exercise approach. In 2009 and 2014, I had already added MELT and The BioMechanics Method respectively to the list of programs I offer. MELT (Myofascial Energetic Length Technique) is a method through which people can learn to self-treat their connective tissue. The BioMechanics Method is another corrective exercise strategy which is complementary to MELT and the corrective approach taken by NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine). Of course, I am also experienced in the traditional strength, cardio and core training forms of exercise including a multitude of balls, Bosus, balance boards, foam rollers and much more.